I'm planning on travelling to England during my winter break, probably December 13- January 8. I'm going to do some research for my honors thesis, so I'm sure I'll be going to Oxford University to check out their children's lit archive. However, I'd like to get my research done in less than a week (the paper is only 20 pages so really it's my excuse to travel!).

The rest of the break I'd like to spend some time in some cheap areas of England (preferably small college towns with local flare). I'm also thinking about spending a week visiting Olomouc, Czech Republic to see some of the people I met on my trip last year.

So, I'd love to hear some tips on how to cheaply travel to and around England. I know I'm going to take a huge hit on the exchange rate. I'd like to find a place other than London to fly into, or if London is my only option where is a cheap place to sleep off my jetlag and a cheap train to catch to get out? I've heard it's really cheap for people living in England to fly to Prague, is this true? And would that be cheaper than taking a train? How bad will the weather be in December, and will I be able to find a cheap-ish place to stay during the Holidays? Any other advice would be amazing. I really have no idea what to see or do, and I'm a little nervous about travelling by myself. My last trip to Europe was with twenty+ American students, very chaotic. Give me all you got!

It is pretty cheap to fly to Prague using easy jet but I would book ASAP as the prices do go up the closer you are to your leave date.
Travel around England is not too bad but in December the weather will most likely be gray and miserable.
There are lots of airports in England the main ones tend to be London or Manchester which is in the north of England-course then you have to go down south which is expensive.
Hope this helps.

There's no problem getting a hostel during the holidays. The London hostels I've stayed at over Christmas have been empty... Prague supposedly only gets super-packed for Easter week (besides summer). NYE, anywhere, is going to be packed, so it's always good to reserve for those few days.

When I went to the Czech Republic last summer the Czechs I met made it seem like Christmas is a really big deal... maybe that's only if you have friends and family to celebrate with. I'm not sure where I should spend Christmas though, I'd hate to be alone... I thought of trying to convince a couple of my Czech friends or friends in England to let me spend time with their family, but I'd feel like I was imposing.

However, other sources have told me that winter is the best time to go to Europe because you aren't surrounded by tourists. His quote: "The worst thing is standing in line at the Louvre and the people behind you are rednecks from southern Indiana."

Another random question: If I'm in the area anyway should I try to visit Scotland? I was thinking about doing a "family history" type of trip and trying to find some areas where my distant family is from... how expensive is Scotland?